AIKEN, S.C. — Classes at Silver Bluff High School in Aiken County were back to normal Thursday after a morning safety lockdown tied to a tip that someone had a gun in the parking lot, a claim deputies later found unsupported.
Aiken County Sheriff Maj. Jason Griffin said deputies reached the campus about 10:30 a.m. after a caller claimed to be on site and reported a possible weapon or threat outside the building.
Administrators locked down the campus under the district safety playbook while a school resource officer and sheriff deputies checked the lot and nearby grounds. The search turned up no firearm and nothing that backed the tip.
District messages to families said the call looked like other false alarms that have targeted South Carolina campuses this fall. Griffin said the lockdown ended a little after 11 a.m. Students stayed briefly under a Hold order in locked rooms while final checks finished, then the day resumed.
School leaders stressed that keeping students and staff safe comes first and credited deputies and students for a calm, fast response.
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